Latest from Friends of Knowland Park

Oakland's Knowland Park boasts unparalleled views of the San Leandro Bay, gnarled coast live oak trees and stands of rare, maritime chaparral. But within this large landscape, one of nature's smallest communities is flourishing—lichen.

The Friends of Knowland Park is a group of neighborhood groups, friends, and concerned citizens from throughout the Bay Area brought together by the common desire to preserve the open space of Knowland Park. This open space, owned by the City of Oakland, is slated for development by expansion of the Oakland Zoo, which would cut off access to a large swath of a meadow and a portion of ridgeline.

The Oakland Zoo sits at the edge of Interstate 580, occupying the western corner of Knowland Park. At 45 acres, the zoo makes up less than one tenth of the park's overall area. But a plan to double that ratio has been in place since 1998, when the Oakland City Council approved a proposed expansion. Now, though ground has yet to be broken on the work itself, the project has retaken center stage thanks to a controversy over recent amendments.